Device to facilitate the teaching of sight-reading.



T; BENNlNGFlELD'. DEVICE T0 FACILITATE THE TEACHING 0E SIGHT READING.

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APPLICATION FILED MAR. 27. |916.

T. BENNINGFIE'LD. DEVICE TC' FACLITATE THE TEACHlNG 0F SIAGHTREADING.1,278,425.

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THOMAS BENNINGFIELD, OF ALVA, OKLAHOMA.

DEVICE TO FACILITATE THE {TEACHING- F SIGHT-READING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 10, 1918.

Application filed March 27, 1916. Serial No. 87,068.

ing at A lva, in the county of Woods and State of Oklahoma, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices to Facilitatethe Teaching of Sight-Readv ing, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to a device to facilitate the teaching of sightreading, rapid calculation and otherwise assisting in the instruction ofthe student.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby a teachermay instantly throw into view a series of gures, letters, or otherobjects intended for the purpose of instruction.

With the above and other objects in view which will later on be morefully explained I have invented the device illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevational view of myde-l vice,

Fig. 2 is` a sectional view taken on line Q42 Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3 3 Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of a key operated mechanism,

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line A--A Fig. 8 showing a cardattached to a support therein,

Fig. 6 is a similar view taken on line B--B Fig. 8,

Fig. 7 is an elevational view of a card having a character printedthereon, and

Fig. 8 is a detail elevational sectional view of a card sup ort andoperating mechanism therefor, t e latter being partly broken away.

. Like reference characters indicate like parts throughout thespecification and in the several views of the drawings, in which 1indicates a casing having a horizontal fulcrum bar 2 to which is pivoteda series of any desired number of levers 3 and 4, the levers 3terminating in white operating keys 5 and the levers 4 terminating inblack operating keys 6 on a plane higher than said white keys. On therear wall 7 of the said casing 1 is a bar 8 which forms a rest 10 forthe rear ends 9 and 11 of said levers 3 and 4. A felt or other cushion12 is mounted on said bar 8 to prevent noise caused by the contact ofsaid levers and bar.

Hingedly mounted on to said bar 8 is a sp1-lng supporting member 13which carries a spring 14, for each of, and directly opposing said rearends 9 and 11 of said levers 3 and 4. The lower vertical ends 15 of saidsprings are Xed to said member 13 and the upper horizontal portions 16thereof project slidably through the openings 17 in said member 13. Whenraised said ends 9 and 11 are adapted to press against the inclinedportions 18 of said springs 14 until said ends are permitted to passfrom engagement with said springs whereupon said springs y back to theirnormal position, and under said ends, whereuponsaid ends are held raiseduntil by a rearward movement of the rod 19, which is connected to saidhinged member 13, all of said springs 14 are thrown out of engagementwith all of said lever ends whereby they are permitted to drop back totheir normal horizontal positions. By drawing the rod 19 forward thesprings are again set to operative position.

Upon the rear portion of each of said levers 3 and 4 are pivotallymounted up rights 20 and 21 connected thereto by links 22 pivoted tosaid levers at 23 and to said uprights 20 and 21 at 24 whereby saiduprights project through openings 25 and 26 in the bottom wall 27 of theupright casing 28. The members 20 and 21 have cut-out portions 29providing walls 30 against which the character bearing cards 31 are heldby means of the spring clips 32, said cards having cut-out portions 33whereby they straddle said members 21 and are held .in rigid verticalposition. A spring 34, holds the rod 19 in any shifted position.

The case 28 is provided with glass front and back walls 36 and 35whereby the characters 37 on the cards 31 may be exposed to view fromeither front or rear of the device in order that the teacher operatingthe device may see the letters, words, figures, or other charactersonthe raised leaves as well as the students.

The character bearing upright rods may be arranged in one row or aplurality of rows andthe'rods in one row may be of a different lengththan the rods in another row so that two or more lines of reading may beexposed in the casing 28.

said levers, and means for engaging the rear ends of said levers to holdthem raised.

2. The described device consisting of a series of levers, charactercards carried by said levers, means for engaging the rear endsjof saidlevers to hold them raised, and said means consisting of springs.

3. The described device consisting of a series of levers, charactercards carried by said levers, means for engaging the rear endsof saidlevers to hold them raised, said means consisting of springs, and a barupon which all of said springs are mounted.

4. Thel described device consisting of a series of levers, charactercards carried by s aidl levers, means for engaging the rear ends of saidlevers to hold them raised, said means consisting of springs, a bar uponwhichall of said springs are mounted, and said bar being horizontallydisposed.

5., The described device consisting. of a i series of levers, charactercards carriedv by saidl levers, means for engaging the rear ends ofsaidlevers to hold them raised, ksaid means consisting of springs, a barupon which all of said springs are mounted, said bar being horizontallydisposed, and hingedlyv mounted.

6. The; describedv device consisting of a series of levers, charactercards carried by said levers, means? for engaging the rear 1 ends ofsaid levers to hold them raised, said means consisting of springs, a barupon which all of said springs` are mounted, said barl beinghorizontally disposed and hingedly-mounted, and means for operating saidbar onf said hinges.

7 The described `device consisting of a series of levers, charactercardscarried by said levers, means for engaging the rear ends of said leversto. hold `them raised, saidy means consisting of springs, a bar uponwhichall of saidsprings aremounted, said bar being horizontallydisposed` and hingedly mounted, means for operating said ba on said'hingestoA trip said raised lever en s.

horizontally disposedandhingedly mounted,

means for operating said bar on said hinges to trip said raised leverends, and holders for each of said cards.

9. The described device consisting of a series of levers, charactercards carried by said levers, means for engaging `the rear endsA of saidlevers to hold them raised, said means consisting of springs, a bar uponwhich allof said springs are'mounted, said bar being horizontallydisposed andhingedly mounted, means'for operating said bar onsaid hingesto trip said raised lever ends, holders for each of said cards, andysaid holders being carried by said levers.

10. The described' device consistingfotl a series of levers, characterlcardscarriede by said levers, mea-ns for engaging the rear ends of saidlevers to vhold them raised, said means consistin of springs,na bar uponwhich all of sai lsprings are mounted, said bar being'horizontallydisposed and hingn edly mounted, means for oper-ating` said bar on saidhinges to trip said raised` lever ends, holders for each of said cards,said holders being carried by saidf levers, and pivotally connected"therewith.

11. The described device Yconsisting of aA series of levers,character'cards carried by said levers, means for engagingV the rearends vof said levers to hold themV raised,

said meansvconsisting of springs, a barupon which all' of saidspringsare mounted'said bar being horizontally disposedv and :hing-Vedly mounted, means foi-'operating said bar on said hinges to tripsaidraisedfl'ever ends, holders for each of said cards, saidholdersbeing carried by saidlevers and-pivotally connected therewith, and a`cushion' to receive saidlever ends when dropped.V

12. In the described device, af series ofhidden lettered cards'Lmeansfor independently raising said' cards, andY a hingedfbar whereby saidcards maybe simultaneously dropped, from view..

13. An indicating device comprising a sectional casing, transversesupporting'bars connected toone of thesecti'ons'oi4 saidl casing, ahinged member attachedv on one of the said transverse bars, an operatingdevice connected tosaid hinged member, vertical bars supportingindicating devices, and means upon said hinged member to lock saidvertical supportingbars'in ele vated osition.. said last mentionedlocking means eing released)upontlie'operation of said first' mentionedlocking means.

14. An, 'educational device V(comprising means to elevate educationalcharacters hinged means to retain said educationai characters inelevated position, means to re' lease said retaining means, and means tolock said retaining means against movement upon its hinges.

15. An educational device, comprisin operating means, supporting means,in icating means mounted in said supporting means, having likeindications upon the opposite faces thereof, hinged means to lock saidsupporting means in an elevated position and means to vrelease saidlocking means.

16. An educational device comprising a plurality of pivoted operatingdevices, a

lplurality of supporting devices connected to said operating devices, aplurality of double faced indicating devices mounted in said supportingdevices, a hinged device having Copie: of this patent may be obtainedfor ve cents each, by addressing the a plurality of locking means tolock said supporting devices in an elevated position, and means torelease said locking means.

17. An educational device comprising a casing, double faced indicatingdevices housed in said casing, operating means to elevate saidindicating devices into View, a pivoted device supporting a plurality oflocking means, said locking means being flexible against action in onedirection and inflexible against action in the opposite direction, `andmeans to shift said locking means out of operative position.

In testimony whereof I al'iix my signature in the presence of twoWitnesses.

THOMAt BENNINGFIELD.

Witnesses:

En. S. ROBERTS, W. W. CASE.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

